Bound by Broadway, Trinity, Liberty, and Cedar Streets, Liberty Plaza Park underwent a reconstruction that created a public sanctuary in the heart of bustling Lower Manhattan. Owner Brookfield Properties, with the help of architects Cooper Robertson Partners and other collaborators, kicked off the $8 million renovation in mid-July 2005.
The new design is a big change from the previous incarnation of Liberty Plaza Park’s all-pavement, barebones layout, bringing welcome foliage to the Financial District’s skyscraper canyons. More than 50 trees, two remarkable sculptures, planters, benches, and nearly 500 in-ground fluorescent lights make the 33,000-square-foot park a haven along the Broadway streetscape.
Logistically, the redesigned park laid out the center pathway on a diagonal to help accommodate the tens of thousands of pedestrians who walk between the northwest and southeast corners every day.
To learn more about Liberty Plaza Park, click here.
For more information about the renovation of Liberty Plaza Park, contact Melissa Coley, vice president of communications at Brookfield Properties, at (212) 417-7215 or mcoley@brookfieldproperties.com.
Rebuilding the park, which was already due for a restoration of its unstable, sub-grade foundation, became a priority for Brookfield after the 9/11 recovery effort. Cleanup and emergency vehicles and equipment were staged in the plaza for months following the attacks, cracking and denting its pavement and further stressing its foundation.
Because the park was built over Temple Street, which ran north-south through the center of the park until the 1960s, contractor Turner Construction was prepared to coordinate underground infrastructure work with the city and utility companies. The 10-month project involved demolition and excavation down to at least eight feet sub grade, and deeper, depending on soil and utility work that was needed. Once excavated, crews re-compacted the soil below to create a level base and help prevent future uneven soil settlement.
Click here for answers to commonly asked construction questions.
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